


Take Care

by Waynesgrayson



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Gen, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-06
Updated: 2015-01-06
Packaged: 2018-03-06 07:12:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3125609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waynesgrayson/pseuds/Waynesgrayson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carl doesn't respond, but the hands on Rick's shirt tighten, almost pulling him back. He hears the cries then, wet and loud and he can't help but cry himself, vision now blurred to the sights in front of him. He can't help but smile a little. Maybe his view of death won't be that bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Care

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write how I see the show ending.   
> Or, a way I think it could end, and how cool and heartbreaking it would be.

He can feel his shoulders drop as he makes peace with it. His gun is still raised and he jerks back slightly as he lets off a round, the bullet slicing clean through a walkers skull and into the next.

He can admit to himself now that this wasn't suppose to happen. That he wasn't particularly ready for this to all be over, but he's be a liar if he said he wasn't locked in the anticipation of finally being at peace. To not have to worry about food or survival.

To be free.

The only reason his gun's raised is because of his children.

Judith is on Carl's back. She's old enough to walk and talk now, going on four years old. But whenever they found themselves in a tight spot and needed to move quick, no one lost the habit of scooping her up and running. This time was no different, except Rick could feel his eyes begin to water, somewhat content and satisfied in the knowledge that Carl has her.

He knows they're going to die, and they know it to. He can see it in the way their war faces fall away, now in its place are faces of a bitter sweet finale. Just like him own, disgustingly eager to embrace death but ready to fight it all the same.

He sees their shoulders sag and their breath quicken, heaving. How they give each other fleeting looks and nods before forming together.

Saying goodbye.

Saying thank you.

They're in a circle now, Daryl and Michonne on either side of him, eyes shifting towards him and back to the battle. He hears Tyreese call out to Sasha, voice desperate. Muffled sobs and cries are heard as shots continue to ring out, blood splattering their clothes and skin. The skin of walkers smacking the ground, flying through the air, covering them.

They continue to fight even though they know it's fruitless. But they all seem to understand and agree on the same thing.

Keep the children alive. Or at least give them a chance.

There were just too many of them. So many, and Rick can't help but whine when his gun clicks, quickly reaching into his pocket for another clip – his last – and firing off.

Carl is behind him, he told him not to fire, to keep onto whatever ammunition he has and protect his sister. He knew his words were unfair the moment they left his mouth but they had to be said.

“Carl!” he shouts, not liking how desperate he sounds. He finds himself backing up, only stopping when he feels a body solid behind his, hands gripping his shirt.

“Dad?” He can tell Carl is barely holding on, that he's scared out of his mind and that tears are probably all over his face. His face red with the effort to not cry, to appear strong.

“I love you.”

Carl doesn't respond, but the hands on Rick's shirt tighten, almost pulling him back. He hears the cries then, wet and loud and he can't help but cry himself, vision now blurred to the sights in front of him. He can't help but smile a little. Maybe his view of death won't be that bad.

“An' I love you, Judith.” he says, chancing a glance back, “You take care of each other, you hear me?”

“Dad, no!”

“Carl!”

\--

The last of the noise ricochets off of the trees. His eyes are sore and his throat is raw and all he can do is stare. Judith is clutching on to him, shaking so bad he doesn't know what to do. Blood is covering his entire body and he feels unclean in a way he hasn't since the first months of the new world.

He desperately wants to clean it off, can feel his skin itch and shudder at the thought of who it belongs to.

He goes to stand but stops when Judith lets out a sharp cry. He looks around, head snapping in every direction, looking for any walkers that might come from her sound.

When he thinks they're okay he leans down and shushes her.

“I have t' stand up now. I have t' do somethin' and you don't wanna see me do it.”

“Don't leave me!”

“I won't.”

After while she relaxes her grip. It takes a little bit longer for her to fully let go, and when she does her tears start up again.

“Don't go. Don't go like papa did.”

Carl's throat closes up and he can feel the burn in his eyes. He presses the palms of his hands into his eyes and waits a moment.

“I'm not goin' anywhere. I promise. Stay here and stay quiet.”  
He doesn't move until she nods and when she does it's jerky. Turning, he walks towards the pile of bodies behind them. Seeing them all dead like this didn't make them seem as much, and he shook his head when he thought about how they all could have made it out.

He finds Maggie and Sasha first, sprawled out next to each other, bite marks and scratches lining their bodies, making them almost unrecognizable. Almost.

Carl fights the urge to vomit.

He allows a few tears to spill down his cheeks before he pulls out his gun. He knows he shouldn't, that a stab in the head would be safer for them. But he didn't care, he almost wants more walkers to come, to take him a Judith.

He pulls the trigger and crumples to the ground.

When he can stand again he makes his way to the body that looks like Tyreese. He shudders at seeing the body of a man so calm and caring, dead and disgusting.

He looks away when he shoots.

Finding Glenn, Michonne and Daryl together does make him vomit. He curls up around himself and shakes. The only reason he can think of to get up is not wanting to seem them do it.

He's surprised none of them have.

He shoots them and vomits again, images of their bodies convulsing at the impact replaying in his head.

When he finds Rick he stops, silently watching. He's tempted to let his dad turn, if only to see him move on last time but he knew it wasn't fair. Not to him or to Judith.

He wasn't sure he'd stop him from killing them.

What he does is sit down next to him, reaching for his hand and holding it tightly. He sits like that for a while is eyes locked on where Judith was now laying. There were no walkers, none that he could see.

“I love you, dad. An' I don't know what 'm gonna do, but 'ma make you proud of me. Of us.”

He falters a few times, but he manages to press the barrel of the gun against Rick's temple.

He leans down and kisses his forehead before pulling away and finding Judith watching them.

He feels fresh tears well up in his eyes as she covers her ears, the echo of a bullet shadowing her scream.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy.  
> This show is going to end with so much sadness.
> 
>  
> 
> http://waynesgrayson.tumblr.com/


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